‘Takers’: Review Revue

By

WSJ Staff

Aug 26, 2010 5:00 pm ET

The big-screen journey of “Takers,” as recounted in a recent Los Angeles Times article, is a touching story. John Luessenhop was set to direct the heist film five years ago for Sony Screen Gems, but his son was stricken by a life-threatening illness and the director had to drop out. In one of Hollywood’s rare moments of kindness (“It’s a dry-ice town, baby,” Robert Evans famously remarked), studio president Clint Culpepper waited while Luessenhop dealt with his son’s medical issues. And so nearly half a decade later comes “Takers,” directed by John Luessenhop with a different cast, including Matt Dillon, Paul Walker, Hayden Christensen, Idris Elba and rapper T.I., among others. Despite the underdog backstory, the film still has to win over critics.

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